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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​Tools of the Trade

    There are four main categories of reports: Statistical Measurements, Data Analysis, Charts and Graphs, and Data Collection/Processing. Click on the title of the report listed below to view it.

    Statistical Measurements:

    Definitions of Rates Used in Public Health Assessment (PDF)
    Median of a Frequency Distribution (PDF)
    "Reported" Pregnancy Statistics (PDF)
    General Fertility Rate and Total Fertility Rate (PDF)
    Concepts of Some Common Birth Statistics Clarified (PDF)
    Common Ratios (PDF)
    Age-Adjusted Rates
    Standardized Mortality Ratio
    Premature Mortality Rate (PDF)
    Average Length of Stay in Hospitals (PDF)
    Occupancy Rates in Health Facilities (PDF)

    Data Analysis:

    Reliability of Rates (PDF)
    Standard Error: The Statistician's Hedge (PDF)
    Sex Ratios for Analyzing Mortality Data (PDF)
    Confidence Intervals for a Crude Rate (PDF)
    Confidence Intervals for an Age-Adjusted Rate (PDF)
    Confidence Interval and Significance Test for a Standardized Ratio (PDF)
    Comparing Crude Rates or Ratios - Part 1: Dependent Rates (PDF)
    Comparing Crude Rates or Ratios - Part 2: Independent Rates (PDF)
    Comparing Age-Adjusted Rates (PDF)
    Adjusted vs. Specific Rates (PDF)
    Computing Synthetic Estimates for Local Health Data (PDF)
    Measuring Premature Mortality Using Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) (PDF)
    Sample Estimates Compared Using Confidence Intervals (PDF)
    The Notion of Risk (PDF)
    Exploring Risk Relationships Using the Chi-Square Statistic - Part 1: Crude Risk, Significance and Confidence Limits (PDF)
    Exploring Risk Relationships Using the Chi-Square Statistic - Part 2: Statistical Control of Risk Factors Using Stratification (PDF)
    Cancer Trend Analysis Using Joinpoint Regression - Part 1: The Basics (PDF)
    Cancer Trend Analysis Using Joinpoint Regression - Part 2: Application and Use (PDF)

    Charts and Graphs:

    Bar Charts (PDF)
    Line Charts (PDF)
    Pie Charts and Pictographs (PDF)
    Population Pyramids (PDF)
    Arithmetic vs. Logarithmic Line Charts (PDF)

    Data Collection and Processing:

    Why Survey? (PDF)
    Types of Surveys (PDF)
    Entire Population and Sample Size Surveys (PDF)
    Probability Sampling (PDF)
    Strategy for Determining Sample Size (PDF)